Douglas Ellington's design for Asheville High School, completed in 1929, was originally planned to have a neighboring municipal community college. Due to the Great Depression the college was never built.
Asheville High School has a central tower, from which radiates three wings. Two wings house classrooms and the third wing has an auditorium. The six-sided tower is related to the eight segmented dome of his First Baptist Church and the octagonal roof of the Asheville City Building.
The terraced slope leading up to the front of the school has a central walkway and flanking drives that lead to the central tower. This formal arrangement pattern contrasts with the more open landscaping on the rear of the school leading down to a stadium.
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